Whilst the prospect of a weekend off for some is slouching on the sofa with a box-set marathon or going outside to soak up the rays and having a catch-up with friends, for others it’s an opportunity to get ahead for the week. Now I’m not trying to say NO REST FOR THE WICKED, but yeah, I find my Sunday’s the most productive day of the week (mainly because I’m used to working Sundays in retail *shudders at the memory and enjoys a long lie in instead*).

With that in mind, here are 14 productive things to do this weekend that won’t take too long (depending), will make you feel awesome, and give you a chance to learn something new!

1. Plan content for two weeks

Whether it’s sitting down with a notepad and brainstorming possible post ideas, to writing out a draft of what will be written within each post – heck, you may even write up two weeks worth of content depending on what it is – sectioning off time to focus on planning and creativity with give your brain a little spark of opportunity to develop ideas that you amy not have thought of before.

2. Wash your brushes

I know, I know, it’s a chore sometimes, but once it’s done that’s it. Luckily I only have 5 or 6 brushes to deep cleanse on a regular basis which means the whole process is done in under 5 minutes, but make the process easier by popping on some happy tunes – I’m currently obsessed with T-Swift’s ‘Welcome to New York’ and Muse ‘Drones’, go figure – and shake your bum whilst you treat your brushes to a detox. Satisfying for your face and your figure.

3. Re-organise your clothes, drawers and shelves

Spring cleaning isn’t just for spring, it’s for those times where you need to feel decluttered and free in your life – and also for when you need to justify a new purchase. If you can’t face a full on wardrobe debunk, choose one area of storage that really needs a clear out and spend a few hours popping things into Keep, Charity and Bin piles. Send them all off to their respective new homes and you’ll be amazed at how much clearer your space and mind will feel.

4. Learn how to use your camera

Tackling the various settings on your DSLR can be daunting and make you want to throw the manual on the floor and give up on everything. That’s why the weekend is the perfect opportunity to sit down with your little baby and see how you can work it to its potential. Discover how to use RAW, modify your manual settings or how a variation in aperture can change an image, plus if you want a bit of extra help, I explained a load of camera settings and photography tips in my In-Depth Posts here and here (bit of shameless self-promo, why not?)

Once you’ve mastered that this weekend, you can also…

5. Take blog photos!

All this free time + sunshine = the perfect opportunity to snap photos for upcoming posts! Make sure you shoot away from the sun to prevent bleached photos, alter your manual settings for a balanced photo, play with props and flatlays, and discover a shooting style that makes your blog a true reflection of you. Plus you’ll be all ready for scheduling those posts in advance which is a bonus 100 points to you.

6. Teach yourself some HTML

I always want to solve my own problems and tech issues when I can, and a big thing that I was to accomplish this year is to know enough HTML to solve problems off the top of my head – whether it’s adjusting photo width, sorting out drop-down menus or even a few lines of text here or there to make my blog uber slick and sophisticated, spend 15 minutes reading dedicated HTML sites to learn a new trick you can utilise and put into action yourself.

7. Cook a new meal

I’m an overworker, in that I will work up until the end of the day or break time and expect a plate of food to magically appear – doesn’t happen always unfortunately. Now that you’ve signed off for the weekend, make it that bit more productive (but still enjoyable, as this is food) by experimenting with some recipes you’ve had your eye on. If you don’t have all the ingredients, just improvise until you can get to the shops, and make something truly delicious that will make you sink into a very rewarding food coma – may I suggest my Moroccan Harissa Enchiladas or Sweet Potato Brownies? They are divine. Ahem.

8. Write a blog manifesto

As an avid reader of Jen‘s blog, I was introduced to the idea of a blog manifesto both through her creative series and through Regina’s blog downloads, and in all honest it’s changed my life. Every single time I feel my blog is fading into the background or I’m conflicted on what I want to produce with my content, I re-read my manifesto and become reignited once more of what I want to share and inspire you lovely lot with through my blog and YouTube channel. A manifesto sets out what you want to achieve with your platforms – your ideal readership, your blog goals, things you want to achieve, what make you a person who’s blog needs to be read. 20 minutes is all it takes to change your life, just saying.

9. Take part in a Twitter chat

If I could look back to a starting point of where all my social media converged and exploded, it would be the day I discovered Twitter chats about a year ago. Before that, I just expected my blog to be found but once you join a hashtag then boom you’re meeting so many new faces and sharing your blog with others who wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Whether you’re a niche blog or looking for a general collective chat, there’s one for you with topics ranging from mental health, exercise, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, books and even tech questions. I guarantee you’ll leave inspired and feeling like you 20000 more friends.

10. Do something positive

Positivity is what I ultimately try to share with everyone through my blog, showing you that what you think and feel can make you the success story you dream of, so spend a bit of time today doing something positive that will make you feel good and help others. Offer to do some cleaning if a housemate is ill or swamped in work, make your boyfriend a cup of tea after they’ve had a long gym session, maybe you could just go on an intense Twitter spree and tell everyone why you love them – people love being told something nice and I personally love hearing people say they love my blog or a post etc so go spread the love quick sharp!

11. Try some brain training

I wrote this post a while ago about how you can train your brain in a few minutes every day, and if you fancy being an Einstein or just simply a bit more articulate in your language choices then a couple of minutes of brain training will make you feel super clever – just don’t get too into it because you’ll mentally exhaust yourself and that’s just too much like school. Try to learn a few more fancy words and improve your memory, and then treat yourself to a piece of dark chocolate or a cup of tea for a job well done.

12. Read, read, read!

Oh this is my ultimate productive and relaxing thing to do on a weekend, as I really neglect my enjoyment of books. There’s so many I want to read, so spending some time absorbing the trials and hurdles of fictional characters not only lets off some steam but it also expands your vocabulary and cultural awareness – more excuses to re-read Harry Potter or a chick lit right?

13. Go outside

Need I say more? You’ll absorb a load of vitamins from the sun, you’ll interact with humans (hello), you’ll experience the various scents, sounds, tastes of the world around you, plus all the walking and moving is great for your body and cardiovascular muscles – I think I just talked myself into a walk…

14. Start your pamper routine at 5pm and finish at 9pm

Now THIS is something productive and rewarding for yourself – your skin goes through so much on a daily basis, it’s scrubbed, cleansed, lashed with wind, rain, absorbs heat and holds makeup, so give it a little relax and well needed detox that lasts all night long (alllllll night, all night, all night long…)

Firstly, go put your moisturiser in the fridge – you will thank me later – and then double cleanse your face with a balm or oil, steam your face and go in with a detoxing face mask, leaving it on whilst you slip into something comfier and then wash it off with a hot cloth before toning with some tea tree or an acid toner, and then apply a brightening serum so that you wake up with a fresh glow.

Leave this for half hour and then go in with another nourishing serum, and let this soak in again whilst you cook some dinner or find a movie to watch for the night. Pat in a retinol eye cream and then head on over to the fridge, taking out the moisturiser you left to cool an hour or so ago. Apply a £1 sized blob to your face and let the cooling texture close the pores, relax the capillaries and reignite the hydration in your skin.

By letting each product soak in over time, you let it do its job properly, plus it’s a real luxury to spend a few extra minutes working in each product, giving yourself a facial massage as you go. Come 9pm you’ll feel super sleepy and by 9am you’ll wake up with a renewed complexion that is rested and plumped to perfection – thank you weekend pampering!

How do you like to spend your weekend? What productive things will you try? Will you be sending some much needed time pampering yourself?

Some products in this post may have been sent for review or gifted, and will be marked with a * or c/o. All opinions are mine are not influenced by brands or companies. Please see my full disclaimer for more.